Field of the Invention
The invention relates to optical alignment apparatus and method and more specifically provides exemplary optical alignment of a fiber-optic rotary joint assembly.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, demand for communication using fiber optics has increased significantly due to its superior performance and cost effectiveness. One particular application is the transmission of optical signals with rotating devices. A fiber optic rotary joint (FORJ) is a device that allows the transmission of an optical signal while rotating along the fiber optical axis. A typical FORJ device includes at least two optical fibers each terminated with a collimator on the joint end. One fiber is stationary and the other fiber is rotating.
To minimize signal loss, the axes of the collimators facing each other should be aligned precisely in yaw and pitch angular as well as x and y translational orientations to each other. For both stationary and rotating fibers, this alignment would require adjustments having 8 degrees of freedom in total. Such an alignment procedure is time consuming and is undesirable from a manufacturing standpoint.
Thus, there is a need for new optical alignment methods and apparatus to overcome the problems as discussed above.